Car coupler



W. BLAKMoRE ET AL -Nov.' 1, 1927. v

CAR COUPLER Filed Jan.16, 192.5

rlllw/ ATTOR Y A Nov. 1, 1927. Y 1,647,497 W. BLACKMORE ET AL CAR coUPLEn Filed Janie, 1925 :s sheets-sneew INVENTOR BYZMa-MM may' Nov. l, 1927.

W. BLACKMORE lET AL CAR coU'PLER Filed Jan. 1 6, 192.5

3 Sheets-Sheet. 5

INVENTORSI @my Patented Nov. l1, 1927.

WILLIAM BLACKMQRE, or. sHABoN, :enNNsrtvAnIJ/i, inn Rational/mins Bazn'nnr AND nAvrDRoBrnsoN, oF onnvnnfiitngorrro,fissrencns To niermann MALLE-L 'i Y ABLE AAND sTEELcAsrINGs'CoMPaNY, QFCLEVELAND; OHIO, CORPORATION ois4 GAR courtney -v i 1 i Application filed January 16, 19725'. -S7eri a1 No. 2,816. Y l i i i' Fig.v 1 is planipa-'rtly in section of a cou-V pler embodying our invention .with the parts inflocked position Fig, 2 is an elevation v vWith'the parts as shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 1s 5 an elevation similarto Fig.-2, but with the lock in; unlockedipositionl and about .to go into lock-set position; Fig'. 4 is a plan, partly. l in section, but with the lock in lock-setposltion Fig. v5 is an elevation similarv toFigs.

- 2 and .3 but With the lookin lock-set position; 6 is a section on line VL-VI of- Fig. ,4;Fig- Tis a plan, partly in sectionpof a'pair o f couplers with the lock lof the left i hand coupler in Vlock-set position; Figs. 8

land/9 show theoperatingleverin plan and elevation, respectively;and Figs. 10, llzand l 12the lock plan, side and front elevations,

respectively.v Y

. `v`Our invention relates to car couplers of 2 0 lthe vertical plane type, suchy as are .shown 1n Letters Patent of John Willison No 1,201,665, dated October 17, 1916, and .ina (jo-pending applicati-on of kllohn Willison, V 'Serial No. 727,851, filed July24, 1924, 1n 2 5 which the'coupler ,comprises .a vcoupler head, va :lock and a suitable actuatingmechanism Y for the lock. The present invention particularly comprises a novel means .of lock-setting "the lock and in so forming the lock, the lock operating mechanism and thelcooperating parts -`of 'the'coupler 'Ahead that'fthe movements of thelock into and out of loch-set yosition are extremely reliable, and kwhen 1n ook-set positionA the lofclris .not easily vdisr'lodged or moved -to another position. ,Our linvention also comprises thevarious features which We shallghereinafter describe tand claim. wf`

' Referring tothe drawings, the-coup ler 1s Y comprised of ay coupler head 2 having a buing javv 3,land a pulling jaw 4, connected i a buiiing face .5 arranged on an axis inf clinedllaterally tothe lineA of draft. The pullingJ jaw 4 hasa.k laterally extending re` I cess 4 to receiveY thecomplementary aw 3 'of'theopp'osing coupler head, and itspullfing face 7 engages a-A complementary Yface8- Ona-.the lbufiiiigA javv. on the opposingwjcoupler 5,0 "The lockv9/.of `the]coupler operatesiini a the depression'14 and upon rotation ofthe arm 15 retractsxthe lock to unlocked'posi-V i and rearwardlyv from thefbuling face vinto thecoupler head. The lock 9 has av locking head i11 and rearwardly extending tail ivhich hooks o ver'the throughfbolt 13 and thereby retained inthe cavity 10, and has also a slidingybearingon the top of the `bolt Y. i

13 Whichsteadies the; lock.

on the barring jaw Sidegof the' lockers a recess or depression 14,' in which Iafforwa'rdly tract the lock either for u ncouplingor lock-f setting. Thelever arm'15 terminates at' its forward end the 'surface 17, Whichv cooperates with the bearing 19 at the upperside of the'recess'14 in assisting inthe movingof Fig. 3. Theflever arm hasalsoaffaceQO which engages the surface 21 at theIrearof is a proj ection`22 extending laterally toward 4the bufnggaw 3*, which v,in normal locking the lock into lock-set position, as is 'shovvnH v.Upon the lovvermost extremityfof the lock 7 5 and yunlocking movementsflofv the `coupler v headslides npand down in, the` inclined guidinggroove 23 in the inner surface of the Jau/,33.1, Above the groove 23 and in the same r vertical plane yis a recess'orlock-set pocket 24 inthe jaw 3jintowhich the projec`tion22` is intended'to be lock-set position.;y y

When thelock .is inlovvermost 'or locked tilted tobring .the lock into j i locked position, ,in which kthe projection'f22'i's leverv armpsurfacel Willthenvengage Athe bearingor point 19, as is showninFig. -3.

' As" vthe bearing 19` fis 4forward of vthe center of Agravity of the lool: the llowerportion- 0f theedoek willsvving forwardlyjjust as' soon'` lA ras itis supported` by the leven at -thfegpofint f -1-9,'and this forwardmovemcnt VWill swing f theA Vlock projection 22'` intoc thef pocket 2 4.

AWhen. theuncouplingf lrod fandv lever hgwe,l .y y ybeen released rthe lock-avvil-lremain inloc'k# l Y Slightly tothe rear of the pocket 424, andthe l position, as is shown in'Fig. 1, `and it is de- ,Sired toplace it inflock-set position, the lever ,16 is rotated ina. counter clockwise direction 1 sothatthe face 2O engages the surface 21 of Y thelock and moves it rearwardlvinto un-y i i' the track, and one of them is in lock-set position ask is shown in Fig. 7, are drawn apart, the corner 26 of the lock 9 of the coupler A in which the lock ispin lowermost position will slide along the bevelled face 25 of the lock on the coupler B and squeeze or forceit rearwardly, thus disengaging its projection 22 from the lock-set pocket 24C, so that as the couplersv separate the lock in thecou.-

pler Bwill be free to drop down into lower/- A most position ready for coupling.

l/Vhen, however, the opposingl coupler is at a substantially different level than the coupler on the opposing car' (for instance, where one caris loaded andthe other is not) in eXtreme cases theV corner 26" on one lock will not engageV the bevelled face 25 of the Yother as the cars draw. apart, and hence the lock 9of the coupler B will remain in lockset positivo-n. V'Jhen the coupler B is again bnii'ed by another coupler, either the Vbutling 'jaw orV the lock of such opposing coupler will strilrethe locl and drive it rearwardly out of its lock-set position` and it will then drop down into l-owermost or lockedposition. V i

T he lfoclnat or near. its lower edge,l is provided with a lug 27 .which extends toward the vertical interior wall 28 and is thereby maintained in vertical alignment and held from lateral movement. Another small projection 29. may also be added to the topof the; l'oclr to steady it ragainst the upper. part of thel wall 28;

rlhe Vtorward surface 17 of the lever' arm Y 15 performs the function ofracting with the bearing' 19 as afulcrum to shift the lock into lock-set position andin addition, it cooperates with the face 18 so'as to limit effectively the rearward movement of the lock under high speed coupling impacts and thus prevent the lever from rotating under such impact, the lool; from being thrown into lockset position, or. from being jammed into the rear of the `lock cavity.

We havel found that couplers constructed in accordance with our invention are eX- tremelyefiective in coupling operations, as

VVour improved mechanism not only prevents premature lock-setting, but also maintains the lock in lock-set position when/the lock has been'pnrposely placed in such position f until it has been dislodged therefrom bythe opposing coupler. j I Y The terinsand expressions which we have employed are used as terms of description *and noto-f limitatiomaiidwe have nor intention, in the; use of such terms and Vexpressions, of excluding any mechanical equivalents of t-he features shown and described, or portions thereof, but recognize that various structural modifications are possible within the scopeof the invention claimed.

Jhat we claim is:

1. A cary coupler having. two-rigid laterally-separated. oppositely-disposed jaws; the coupler having` a longitudinally-eXtending cavity therebetween; la lock movable in theA cavity to assume a projected locking position, a retracted unlocking position and a loch-set position; cooperating means on the coupler and lock forsupporting the lock in lock-set position; and lock actuating means arranged to move the lock into the retracted unlocking position and into lock-set position.

2. A car coupler having two rigid latervally-separated-oppositely-disposed jaws; the

coupler having a longitudinally-eXtending cavity therebetween; a locky 'movable longitudinally in said cavity; a projection and recess engagement between said lock and coupler adapted to4 support the lock inr locliset position; and means for bringing the lock and coupler into such engagement.

3. A car coupler having two rigid. laterally-separated oppositely-disposed jaws the coupler having a longitudinally-extendingcavity therebetween; a lock movable longitudinally in said cavity; a projection and recess engagement between said looland coupler by which the lock is heldin lock-set position; and means for rotatiifig the loclr to bring it into such engagement with said coupler.

4. A car' coupler having two rigid laterally-separated oppositely-disposed jaws.; the

coupler having a longitudinally-extending cavityv therebetween; a lock `movable in said cavity; a projection on the lock engaging a 105 vrecess in said coupler head duringuncoupling 'and coupling movements .and apocket communicating with said recess, the saidprojecti-on being intended to enter said recess position. v f l 5. `A car coupler having two rigid laterally-separated oppositely-disposed jaws; the coupler having longtudinally-extending landf'thereby to support the lock in lock-set U0 cavity therebetween; a lock movable longtudinally in said cavity; cooperating means Y on the lock and VVcoupler forisupporting vthe locl'r in lock-set position; and a lever arm arranged upon actuation to shift the lock'y to bring said cooperating means into engagement vand the lock into lock-set position.

6. A carA coupler having two rigid laterally-separated. .oppositely-disposed jaws; the coupler having la longitudinally-eXtendin-g cavity therebetween ;walocl movable longitudinally `in saidicavity vcooperatingmeansv on the lock and coupler for supporting the vlock inV look-set position; a lever varm;arranged iipony actuation' to) shift the lock, tofl bring.

said cooperating means into engagement and l 0 `upon actuation to move theloclr from its projected locking to a retracted unlocking.`

osltion and oneV art of which acts asa nlcrurn to shift the lock into lock-set posi- Y tion, and also to act as a stop to prevent 'separated oppositely-disposed jaws; each coupler having a longitudinallyextending' cavity between its jaws, a lock movable '25 leach said cavity having a projection and rethelock from moving, except under impulse of the lever, from its projected locking position to a-fullyretracted'position. j j' 8. A car coupling comprising liketo-lik'e car couplers, each having two rigid laterallyl cess engagement with its coupler by which i-t is held in lock-set position, and' means of tripping the said lock from its lock-set position, said means lcomprising the engagement ot' the said lock bythe lock of the opposing coupler which removes the said lock tromxits lock set position by the relative A' 'i movement of the locksas the couplers pull`v apart. A Y t 9. A car coupler comprising two rigid, laterally separated goppositely vdisposed jaws having a longitudinally extending cavity therebetween; a lock movable longitudinally in said cavity; said lock being movable into j lock-set position and being supported therein by means forming an operative part lof the said coupler and being independent ofthel opposing coupler head, said lock beingr reof the lock of an opposing coupler head.

Vmoved from said loek-set position by meansf'wx` 10. A car coupler comprising ra head, Afa i lock and lock operating means, said `head having two rigid, laterallyseparated oppof' i sitely disposed jawswith a longitudinally VeX- v tending cavity therebetween, said locklbeing movable longitudinally in said'cavity to as-k sume a projected locking position, avrevtracted unlocking position, and a lock-set position; and cooperating means on the vlock r and one of theaforesad parts ior'supportfk Ving said lock in 'lock-set-position. i

l1. A car coupler having two rigid laterally'fseparated oppositely-dlsposed jaws; the@ coupler having a longitudinally-extending cavity therebetween ;-a lockmovable longitu`` v s Vdinally in said .cavity to assume' projected.. f locking and retracted 'unlocking positions;

an operatinglever 'mounted on the coupler head having a cam-shaped surfaoeffor slid-vv able engagement with said look, whereby the leverage for movingthe lock'to its'retracted f Y unlocking position is greater during the ini. l 'tial movement yof the lookthan during its Vfinal movement.

WILLIAMBLAGKMOE.-

1 ARTHUR JAMES BAZELE-v.v

DAVID ROBINSON. y 

